


to find your passion

by deducingontheroof



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Rarepair Week, Alternate Universe - Dance, Angst, Ballet Dancer Akaashi, Hip-Hop Dancer Iwaizumi, Hip-Hop Instructor Iwaizumi, M/M, Permanent Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-16 20:05:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11259999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deducingontheroof/pseuds/deducingontheroof
Summary: He was lost in the music, in the movements, in thepassion, when four little words shook him out of his reverie.“Teach me to dance.”





	to find your passion

**Author's Note:**

> written for akaashi rarepair week day 3: dance | ~~music~~ | song inspired
> 
> not essential, but i recommend listening to monster by kanye west while reading, it's the song that inspired this <3

Dance.

The fluidity of motion. Graceful limbs twirling fiercely, the dancer completely in control as they leap into the air, spinning and jumping with an ethereal kind of beauty.

Keiji loved it.

He loved the feeling of flying through the air, precisely controlling his every motion.

It made him feel weightless. 

He had loved ballet since he was a child, and his mother had signed him up on a whim. He had fallen in love immediately, and threw himself into the art. Quickly growing accustomed to the harsh, gruelling practices, he rose through the ranks to emerge at the top. Top of the class, top of the school-

Top youth dancer in Japan.

But it was never enough. His mother was never satisfied, his teacher was never satisfied, and he was never satisfied. Why stop at being the best in Japan? Why not aim for the best in Asia? Or even, someday, the best in the world?

He didn’t long for success for himself. He was in love with the beauty of his dance, and he wanted to share it. He wanted everyone in the world to see him dance, and fall in love with it, just as he did.

There was nothing he wanted more. 

But his dreams of grandeur were brought to a shattering halt when he landed wrong at practice and his ankle gave out. 

He could never dance _en pointe_ again. It would only do more permanent damage to his ankle, and he would risk losing use of it.

He could never dance again.

-

Hajime whistled to himself as he closed the door to the studio, and connected his phone to the stereo. His last class of the day was finished, and his manager was kind enough to let him use the studio to practice. There was a competition coming up soon that Oikawa was pushing him to enter, so he wanted his routine to be well-rehearsed.

_It’ll be fun, Iwa-chan! Plus, the prize money is a hundred thousand yen! Not to mention all of the talent scouts that will be there!_

He hated it when Oikawa had a point. 

He shrugged off his sweater, and started the music. He closed his eyes, _feeling_ the beat, and started to dance.

His mind was clear, as it always was when he danced. The music was all there was. The beat, the rhythm, the raw beauty.

To him, hip-hop was like a hurricane. Wild and uncontrolled, but absolutely breathtaking. 

It was what he loved, more than anything else in the world.

It wasn’t surprising that he didn’t notice the man watching him from the doorway.

He was lost in the music, in the movements, in the _passion_ , when four little words shook him out of his reverie. 

“Teach me to dance.”

-

The man’s name was Akaashi Keiji, a name that sounded hauntingly familiar, yet Hajime couldn’t place it. He was a graceful, ethereal being, with a sadness deep-rooted in his eyes.

He was beautiful.

“Why do you want to learn hip-hop, Akaashi-san?” Hajime asked, “You seem like a ballet kinda guy.”

He noticed Akaashi’s tiny, barely-noticeable flinch, and resolved not to mention ballet again.

“It intrigues me,” Akaashi said quietly, “Dance is about control, yet hip-hop is disorder, and the loss of control. I merely wish to understand how it manages to be so beautiful and so chaotic at the same time.”

“Not gonna lie, right now’s a busy time,” Hajime commented, “I have classes to teach, and I’m preparing for a competition. But if you’re willing to work around that, I’ll teach you to dance.”

-

“Let go of all thoughts of perfection,” Hajime instructed, scrolling through his phone in search of a certain song, “Forget everything you think you know about dance. When you dance, you need to forget yourself, and feel the music.”

He selected a song, leaning against the wall, and watched Akaashi’s eyes widen.

“How shall I dance to this?” Akaashi inquired.

Hajime smiled, “You’re already doing it wrong, Akaashi-san. You’re thinking too much.”

Akaashi took a deep breath, and started moving. His movements were fluid, carrying a grace typically absent in hip-hop dancers. As the song went on, Hajime could see Akaashi starting to lose himself in the music, like Hajime told him, and his movements grew rougher, choppier, yet still imbued with that grace.

Hajime couldn’t take his eyes off of him.

-

“You’re learning fast, Akaashi-san,” Hajime admitted, grinning, “Those were some pretty advanced moves.”

“Thank you, Iwaizumi-san,” Akaashi said, blushing and looking away, “You’re far better than me.”

“Seriously, there’s not much more I can teach you,” Hajime told honestly, “You’ve learned insanely fast. You’re sure you’ve never danced before?”

Akaashi hesitated, “I have never danced hip-hop before.”

Hajime raised an eyebrow, “But you have danced before?”

Akaashi didn’t respond, avoiding Hajime’s eyes, his hands clenched into fists.

“We don’t have to talk about it, Akaashi-san. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Hajime apologized, “Do you want to get started?”

Akaashi visibly relaxed, if only a hair, and nodded.

-

 _“You never told me that student-kun is **Akaashi Keiji**!!”_ Oikawa shrieked, forcing him to hold the phone away from his ear.

“How the hell was I supposed to know?” Hajime hissed.

 _”Iwa-chan, how did you not know?”_ Oikawa responded incredulously, _“Akaashi Keiji was only the most talented dancer Japan has seen in years! He was preparing to dance in an all-Asia competition when he disappeared!”_

“That doesn’t make sense, though,” Hajime commented frustratedly, “Why did he disappear, if he was that good? And why have I been teaching him hip-hop?”

 _“There was a rumour, a couple months ago, that he got injured during practice,”_ Oikawa told, voice dropped down to a whisper, _“Imagine that. If he injured one of his ankles, somehow, it could stop him from dancing **en pointe.** His entire style was built around **en pointe,** so that would have been career-ending.”_

“And hip-hop doesn’t strain your ankles as much,” Hajime realized.

_”Not even close.”_

-

Akaashi was beautiful. He moved to the rhythm so fluidly, rolling his body to the beat. He was born to dance hip-hop. Hajime knew that he had talent, and he worked hard, but he knew that soon, Akaashi would surpass him. Easily.

The raven-haired beauty had a gift.

“Compete with me,” Hajime blurted out without thinking.

Akaashi stopped dancing and raised an eyebrow, “Excuse me?”

“The competition I’m rehearsing for, there’s a pairs division,” Hajime elaborated, “Please, compete with me.”

“That would be a tremendous amount of work,” Akaashi commented slowly, “You’d have to rework that routine you’ve been rehearsing into a pairs dance. You’d have to change your registration, if the competition even allows you to. And I’d have to learn your routine. I’ve never done a pairs dance before.”

“I know, I know. It’ll be hard,” Hajime acknowledged, “But it doesn’t matter. I’ll work it out. I want to dance with you, Keiji.”

Akaashi smiled softly, a rare, welcome sight, “Did I say no?”

-

Soon, he was spending every free second in the studio with Akaashi. Their rehearsals were long and gruelling, but he couldn’t help but enjoy them. Any second spent with Akaashi was a second well spent.

Hajime wasn’t sure when he stopped seeing Akaashi as a beautiful dancer and starting seeing him as just beautiful.

-

“I’m scared. Is that so hard to believe, Iwaizumi-san?” Akaashi’s voice was little more than a whisper.

“Of course not,” Hajime assured, “Of course not, but you have no reason to be. Akaashi, you’re the most beautiful dancer I’ve ever seen. You’re already a better dancer than me.”

“Different. Not better,” Akaashi insisted, “I know how much I’m lacking. I cannot lose control, as you tell me to. I cannot lose myself. I hear the music, and I must move perfectly in time. My movements must be precise and intentional.”

“That doesn’t work in hip-hop. You need to let go of your fears,” Hajime told gently, “Control, precision, perfection, none of that matters. It may have mattered in ballet-”

He cut himself off as a tear ran down Akaashi’s face.

“So you do know,” Akaashi smiled sadly, “I was naive to think you didn’t.”

“I’m sorry-”

“Don’t be,” Akaashi insisted, “I didn’t love ballet, not as I thought I did. My entire life, I’ve been told to strive for perfection. My every waking moment was filled with anxiety. I wondered if I was good enough, if my skills were enough. And when I started to win, I grew cocky, and the desires multiplied within me. But now, everything is different. I am in love with the passion you give to your dance, and you have inspired me to look elsewhere for perfection.”

“You don’t need to look for perfection, Keiji,” Hajime murmured, “You’re already perfect.”

Akaashi met his eyes, “Then perhaps I’ll start looking for passion.”

And when their lips met, it was the most natural thing in the world.

-

 _”I called it!”_ Oikawa crowed.

“Shut up, Shittykawa!”

-

“We’re up next. Are you ready?” Hajime asked, giving Keiji’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

Keiji gave him a faint, fond smile, “So long as you are beside me, I am ready for anything.”

And together, they stepped out onto the stage. The music started, the same music Hajime had been dancing to the first day they met, and Hajime pulled Keiji close.

And they danced.

-

They placed first.

**Author's Note:**

> _come scream with me about iwaaka and other rarepairs!!! my tumblr is semishiraten_


End file.
